I never liked baths as a kid. Compared to showers, they felt like a deeply inefficient means of getting clean, and I was baffled by anyone who willingly lingered in warm, sudsy water like a forgotten tea bag.

But at my wise old age of 29, something has shifted, and I now see the appeal of a soothing soak. After a long day of furiously tapping on a keyboard, you might find me in the tub nursing a mug of chamomile. Maybe there’s a book of Mary Oliver poems within reach. Or maybe I’m scrolling TikTok, abandoning all pretense of self-improvement. Either way, I stay. I steep. I surrender.

Which is how I found myself thinking about Appalachian hot springs — places where people have been soaking for centuries, long before self-care had a hashtag or a nearly $2 billion wellness economy existed. These mountain springs have drawn everyone from Indigenous people to early American statesmen, all seeking rest and relief.

Bath, West Virginia

Before cucumber eye masks and eucalyptus towels, there was Berkeley Springs — widely recognized as America’s first spa.

For generations, people have gathered at these warm mineral waters, from modern tourists to colonial visitors like George Washington, who first came in 1748. Three decades later, the Town of Bath was founded around the springs to protect them, modeling itself after England’s famed spa town with the same name.

But for all that history, the water itself remains something of a mystery. No one has ever been able to pinpoint exactly where the aquifer lies. What’s known is that the water rises from deep underground, from a body of water that’s old enough to predate modern pollution.

“Certainly, there is no volcano or high magma table here like most hot and warm springs towns, which means that the water goes very, very deep toward the mantle to be warmed before bubbling back to the surface,” said Dusty Martin, executive director of Travel Berkeley Springs. “This means that the water bubbling out of Berkeley Springs has likely been underground for hundreds or thousands of years.”

Warm Springs, Virginia

Warm Springs has been drawing people who need a break for a long time, long enough that the guest list includes Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Nowadays, the springs feel much as they always have. The pools remain tucked inside their original 19th-century stone and wood bathhouses, carefully restored by their current owner, The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa. There’s been just enough updating to keep things functional — the bathhouses now have lights and restrooms — but not so much that the place loses its charm. They remain unheated. In fact, on a winter visit, a member of our staff recently spotted ice in the changing rooms. And, to this day, each bathhouse is open air with large openings in their pitched roofs that permit steam to escape and provide striking views of the sky above.

“The Warm Springs Pools are a place where history and nature meet in a very tangible way,” said Lynn Swann of The Omni Homestead Resort & Spa. “Beyond feeling relaxed, I hope guests carry an appreciation for slowing down, honoring history, and reconnecting with a place that has been thoughtfully preserved to serve both the resort and the wider community for generations to come.”

Hot Springs, North Carolina

At Hot Springs Resort & Spa, relaxation begins far below your feet. Deep in the earth, groundwater slips through ancient rock, gathering magnesium, calcium, and bicarbonates before surfacing at a steady 107 degrees. By the time it reaches the resort’s many private outdoor tubs, which are just big enough for a few friends to share, the water cools to a forgiving 101 to 102 degrees — “a perfect bathing temperature,” said general manager Heather Hicks.

According to Hicks, the springs have anchored this small mountain town for more than two centuries. In the late 1700s, travelers moving along early mountain routes stopped here to recover, and by the 19th century, hotels and bathhouses had been built. Today, Hot Springs Resort & Spa carries that history forward through an intimate soaking experience.

“I hope guests leave remembering how to slow down,” Heather said. “Pausing long enough to feel awe in nature is one of the most human things we can do.”